Its that time again, so time to make predictions. And, just so people don't believe I'm bitter, I will mention a positive aspect in every match.

Taker/Jones vs. Albert/Big Slug: Am I the only one concerned that the best worker in the match is Albert?Prediction, its Mania, Taker doesn't job, so Taker/Jones win.Positive: Giant Gonzales is not booked to be in this match.

Matt Hardy vs. Rey Mysterio: Should open the PPV. Give them 12-15 minutes and let them build a nice match and really get the crowd going. Prediction: Rey wins Cruiser Title.

Kane/RVD vs. Storm/Morley (possible Heat): I wouldn't be shocked if they had the match on Heat, had the Dudleys interfere, and cause a 3 way match during Mania proper. However, without the interference, I think they finally go through with the Kane/RVD split, because at least one of them needs to turn.Prediction: Storm/Morley retain.Positive: It could be worse, they could be hosting from an empty World.

Los Guerreros vs. Benoit/Rhyno vs. Team Angle: I get Eddie vs. Benoit at some point at Mania, so I'm happy. Considering Kurt is going to be out for a year, taking the tag titles off Team Angle at this point could really cause them to lose any crowd appeal.Prediction: Team Angle retains.

Trish vs. Victoria vs. Jazz: It'll be interesting to see who plays the tweener during the match, Victoria or Jazz.Prediction: Jazz wins the Womens Title, and tries to maintain her tweener role in order to allow for feuds with Trish and Victoria.Positive: Mania is not in Texas, so Jackie is not in the match.

Hogan vs. Vince: Anyone else remember a few years ago the WWF/E would refer to matches with Hogan as Wheel Chair Wrestling. Now, he's 5 years older, and he's facing someone even older than him at Mania.Prediction: I have a bad feeling about this card, so Vince goes over Hogan.Positive: With all the money these two have contributed to pharmeceutical companies through the years, they have indirectly provided the capital for these companies to research and produce drugs to cure dangerous illnesses.

Austin vs. Opponent: A week ago, I thought Austin would go over. Unfortunately, someone new has been signed with the company.Prediction: Austin's Opponent will win.Positive: Debra is not involved in the match.

Jericho vs. Michaels: Common sense states that this match makes up for the Lucy the Dog crap Jericho had to deal with last year.Prediction: Michaels + imminent return of Kevin Nash = Jericho jobbing.

Angle vs. Lesnar: This match has double turn written all over it. Even before Angle was injured, it was obvious he was jobbing at Mania. Now, he might do a stretcher job, thus enabling Lesnar to turn heel.Prediction: Lesnar defeats Angle. Then, he talks about how he has destroyed everyone in his first year, and a battered Hulk Hogan returns and recreates the finish to Mania IX, leaving Mania as the new WWF/E Champ.

Here's my predictions and if I'm right I will tell you how I came to my conclusions. I'm not going to include the raw tag match because I'm not sure if it's going to be at mania.

Taker/Jones vs Albert/Big Slow- Taker/Jones win

Matt vs Mysterio- Mysterio wins

Triple Threat Tag team match- Benoit/Rhyno win

Triple Threat Womens match- Trish wins

HHH vs Booker T- Booker T wins

Austin vs Rock- Austin wins

Jericho vs Micheals- Jericho wins

Angle vs Lesnar- Angle wins

Hogan vs Vince- Hogan winsThose are my predictions. I'm not sure if have of them are going to be right, but if they are I'll tell you how I figured it. With some of the smackdown matches, I'm not sure because I don't get smackdown so most of them are guesses.

"Triple H, The Rock says they didn't keep you at the bottom of the barrel just because you wanted to say goodbye to your roody poo friends in Madison Square Garden. No! The Rock says, they kept you at the bottom of the barrel because you absolutely suck."

HBK # 1 vs. HBK # 2 .. er .. Y2J # 1-- This promises to be an incredible match. Who wins? Who cares? Enjoy seeing these two fight, it'll be better than any other match tonight. I will predict a HBK win after Big Cripple Cool Diesel interferes.

Kurt (Da Man) Angle vs. Brock "Here comes Stephanie's Pain" Lesnar-- Kurt could wrestle Ahmed Johnson and even make him look good...with his arms tied behind his back all the while wearing a purple tutu. With a broken neck, Angle still has the goods, but it'll be a cringefest every so often. Lesnar loses, but it's a huge standing ovation afterwards, with Lesnar lifting Angle's hand after the match.

That's my prediction...and you'll have to pardon the sarcasm, really...

Smackdown Tag Team 3 way danceTeam Angle retains when they borrow a play from Los Guerreros - cheating to win.

Trish vs. Victoria vs. JazzPrediction: Jazz.

Triple H vs. Booker TThey brawl throughout the building. Hunter gets hit with chairs, garbage cans, street signs, baseball bats, a Seattle Seahawks helmet. They return to the ring, where Booker T signals for a ton of bricks to be dumped from the roof. HHH springs from the rubble, sticks his arms out and makes a constipated face, then kicks Booker T in the gut and pedigrees Booker for the clean win.

Hogan vs. VincePrediction: Hogan

Austin vs. RockPrediction: If Rock is sticking around for another PPV, then the Rock wins it. If he is off to follow in the footsteps of Joe Don Baker, then Austin wins when Hogan interferes.

Jericho vs. MichaelsPrediction: Michaels. Clean as a sheet.

Angle vs. LesnarPrediction: Lesnar.

Scott Steiner's appearance: He is peering through the 2*4s outside the boarded up World in New York City. his request for freaks doesn't work out according to his plans, and hilarity ensues.

I think Austin v. Rock will wind up being the Main Event. They are the two biggest headliners, and having Goldberg appear two or three matches before the end of the show just doesn't make sense, the crowd would be over pumped from that match and it would take away from the others.

UNDERTAKER/NATHAN JONES v. A-TRAIN/BIG SHOWNot surprisingly, I couldn't care less. It's Wrestlemania, so Undertaker & Mr. Jones are winning regardless of how many spots Mr. Jones blows. And I'll say it right now: This is the match that should be on Heat. Why does it make the big show? Ah, politics.

Cruiserweight Title: MATT HARDY VERSION 1.0 v. REY MYSTERIO JR.Matt just won the title, so he keeps it, probably with Shannon's help. Rey Rey is above the Cruiserweight title anyway, and am I the only one who thinks a tag team with Rhino when Benoit moves to main event is a good idea?

Raw Tag Titles: CHIEF MORLEY/LANCE STORM v. KANE/ROB VAN DAMMorley & Storm retain, either when the Dudleys assist them, they get DQ'd because the Dudleys screw up, or they win by DQ when the Dudleys turn on them. (I'm personally going with Door #2.) The only reason the Dudleys aren't in this match is because of the injury Bubba suffered in the Evolution Killer match.

SD Tag Titles: TEAM ANGLE v. LOS GUERREROS v. CHRIS BENOIT/RHINOLos Guerreros are out of the loop and completely in limbo because of the FBI thing, and I'm torn between the other two - my brain says Team Angle needs the win more, while my heart says that they'll make it up to Benoit (since Chris was going to get Kurt's spot before Kurt decided not to pull out). There does need to be a clean break, though, so I'm going with Benoit & Rhino.

Women's Title: VICTORIA v. TRISH STRATUS v. JAZZRule #28593 of WWF Booking: Only the Rock is allowed to win a title within a month or two of returning to the air. Hence, you can completely count Jazz out here, and since Trish has been killed week in and out and didn't win the title last year - in Toronto - give the title to Trish here, with an assist from Jeff Hardy.

HHH Ego Stroke Title: TRIPLE H v. BOOKER TThe issue here is not whether Triple H does the job, but how he does it, because I think it would piss way too many people off if he retains in any way, and I think he knows it. They'll probably go the "Flair screws up, fluke win" route just to piss me off, but I'll take it at this point.

THE ROCK v. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTINRock is likely sticking around for a match with Cold Beer next month, which is irrelevant to the outcome of this match, but I just thought I'd clarify things for HomerJFong. Anyway, Rock finally gets the win over Austin he should have had two years ago, and as such, this will NOT be the main event.

Taker/Jones vs. Albert/Big Show.Do you remember when the Carolina Hurricanes got to the Stanley Cup final against the Wings last year? I remember watching it and halfway through the first period of the first game, I thought to myself "How the hell did this happen?". Total bewilderment. That's how I feel about this match. Every time I see it being advertized on Smackdown or RAW, I think, how the hell did THIS happen. I really can't believe they are debuting Jones on WM. Anyway, you reap what you sew and what they are reaping is a REAL bad match. Show/Train win, Jones vs. UT at Backlash

Rey Misterio Jr vs. Matt HardyYou know, people in the know (Vince McMahon) alway say that cruisers can't draw. They always say that a cruiser match and a cruiser in general should always be used as a way to get the crowd going and nothing more. To me, that's bull. Are you telling me that you couldn't have crafted a story where a guy like Mysterio couldn't have contended for the WWE title? I mean, to me, there's money in a Lesnar/Mysterio PPV match. And don't even get me started on the UT/Hardy possibility. Anyway, these guys are going to probably have the best match on the card and during it, Vince will be posing in the mirror thinking about what a hoss he is. Hardy wins.

Kane/RVD vs. Morley/StormSeriously, who cares? Morley/Storm wins.

Smackdown Tag Team 3 way danceHey, remember when everyone said that Vince would know what to do with Beniot? Seems like a LONG time ago. I remember on another post, I said that the Booker/HHH match should try and pattern after the Benoit/Angle, where HHH wins but Booker puts up a hell of a fight, but seeing Benoit in a meaningless match like this makes me rethink things. Seriously, that night, they created a star and they sqandered it away. Team Angle wins, in a great match.

Trish vs. Victoria vs. JazzIs it bad for me to say that Jazz might be the best worker on RAW? It's kind of sad, because these girls (especially Trish) have worked very hard and the storyline has actually been very coherant and straightforward, but no matter what, people will still be chanting for puppies. Jazz wins.

Triple H vs. Booker TLet's get this out of the way. Triple H is winning.

Now, this pretty much is a microcosm of why the WWE is where it is right now. A casual fan will look at this match and think to themselves "Why is Booker in this match?" And they would have every right to question it. After all, he wasn't in the last PPV, got thrown out of the Rumble by 2 rookies in less than 5 minutes and was a tag wreslter for most of last year. Hell, 6 months ago, he jobbed to HHH in the lowest rated RAW main event last year. Why in the world should ANYONE get behind Booker. So they stick him out there to lukewarm reactions and justify that he shouldn't get the belt because, heck, even HHH gets the pops that he does.

This is the classic Chicken and Egg theory. They won't really push Booker cause he doesn't get Rock like pops, while he doesn't get Rock like pops because they don't push him properly. Meanwhile, the man he's facing is the very definition of someone who was pushed down our throats until he got the reaction that they desired (to be fair, HHH was also the best performer in the world of wrestling in the year 2000, which helped tremendously). I just wish that, aside from Lesnar, Vince would REALLY attempt to put someone on HHH's level (to be fair, he did try with Steiner), because the staleness is really killing the product. All I can really hope for this match is for it to be a good one (and I think it will be).

By the way, Backlash or Judgement Day: Diesel vs. HHH. Chew on that.

Hogan vs. VinceLook, as much as I hate to admit this, I'll probably be into this match as much as all the others. And I'll feel very dirty after. Yeah, 25 minutes is WAY too long, but I trust these guys to put on at least a entertaining display. Hogan wins, suffers stroke, never wrestles again.

Austin vs. RockMy favorite show in the world is Cheers. The best episode is the one where Woody and Kelly get married. I remember the first time I watched it, I laughed until I cried. The second time, still funny. I saw it recently on one of the local cable stations here, which was about the 10th time I seen that show, and funny enough, I didn't laugh as hard. The performers were the same, jokes didn't get any less funnier, same laugh track, same everything. But who wants to see the same thing over and over again, even when you really like the performers and the show? Rock wins. And it's going to be a good match. Like always.

Jericho vs. MichaelsA lot of people are looking forward to this match, but really, Michaels isn't HBK anymore. Heck, Jericho isn't Jericho anymore. He's Y2J or Fozzy or Mongoose or whichever he's calling himself. I think this match is going to disapoint, and not just in the outcome. Jericho wins, by some devious manner, cause it wouldn't do for the Showstopper, the Main Event and the ICON to lose cleanly.

Angle vs. LesnarI can't get exited about this match. Kurt Angle is my favorite performer and throughout this whole match, I'm just going to hope that he's gets up after every bump. I remember talking to a friend about 3 months ago and said I hope nothing happens to Michael Vick and Kurt Angle. Mike, if you're reading this (and you're not), one word for you: Kevlar. Brock wins.

By the way, Storm's gimmick includes 1.) telling the audience to shut up, and 2.) occasionally making everyone stand for the Canadian national anthem. You know they don't know what to do with a wrestler when he's making fans stand for a national anthem. It's like waving a white flag and saying, "This guy has no personality -- we give up."

Trish vs. Victoria vs. JazzTrish is going to go over here...this fued between these three will continue to build in the next few months.

Rey Misterio vs. Matt HardyMatt is going to go over with the help of Kendrick who will screw Misterio out of title. Matt hasn't held the title that long, so he's not going to drop it to Rey. Plus Rey doesn't need the belt to be over.

Smackdown Tag Team - 3 TeamsTeam Angle goes over after some form of cheating.

Taker/Jones vs. Albert/Big Show.This will be a terrible match. I guarantee it. Taker/Jones go over and in the next month or two they will fued. *SIGH*

Triple H vs. Booker TPrediction: Booker T wins the title with assistance from Goldust. Lots of interference in this contest. Evolution (Flair or Orton) will get involved somehow. (Nash is also a possibility.)

Hogan vs. VinceHogan goes over here, and once again lots of interference. (Shane-O Mac)

Austin vs. RockRock has to go over here, Austin has already beat him twice at Mania.

Angle vs. Lesnar (THIS SHOULD BE THE MAIN EVENT)Lesnar will win, but I think they are leaning towards turning him heel somehow.

Booker T def. HHH. I know, I know, but that's what really should happen and I hope and pray it does.

The Rock def. Stone Cold. They've been playing up the "Rock has never beaten Stone Cold at WM" card too much for him to lose again. There'll probably be a ton of interference with a Sportz Entertainment finish.

Hulk Hogan def. Vince McMahon. Real American hits at the beginning of this match, but Vince comes out to it instead of Hogan for some insane heat. Real American hits again and Hogan comes out to an insane pop. It'll be a fun match, no matter what any of you say.

Brock def. Angle in a match that sees Angle getting a face pop by the end of the match. Team Angle run out afterwards and punk out Angle for losing, "injuring" his neck. Brock makes the save and Angle is stretcherd out to a standing ovation so he's a face when he comes back.

My Heart Says: Van Dam and Kane in a squash.My Head Says: Van Dam and Kane by "botched" interference from the Dudleyz, Van Dam and Kane drop the titles to the Dudleyz at the first RAW PPV when one turns on the other.My Gut Says: Same as my head.

My Heart Says: Jericho clean with the WallsMy Head Says: Jericho, after some chair shots to Michael's back and THEN the WallsMy Gut Says: Jericho after a run in by Christian is ruled void by Test and Jeff, then the chairs and the Walls.

My Heart Says: Nathan will put on a ok performance, if a bit slow and rough, but we'll all blast him for it anyway. Undertaker gets the win.My Head Says: Undertaker gets the win, Nathan impresses only The UndertakerMy Gut Says: Nathan turns on Undertaker mid-match, Taker fights off the Three on One to remain undefeated at Mania. Heyman STILL brags about getting Nathan Jones on Smackdown.

My Heart Says: Trish picks up the win in a decent matchMy Head Says: Trish wins in an absolute clusterfuck featuring run-ins by Stevie (on Victoria's behalf), Jeff Hardy (on Trish's behalf), and Rodney Mack (at the behest of Teddy Long on Jazz' behalf). The men do more wrestling than the women, but Trish eeks out a win.My Gut Says: Just about the same as my head, only more time for the women than the men.

My Heart Says: A fun match that most of us will be too cynical to enjoy. Vince keeps cheating to get the upper hand only to be put down by Hogan time and time again. Hogan wins. The crowd goes wild.My Head Says: Same thingMy Gut Says: Almost the same, but at least one if not two run-ins on Vince's behalf (including possibly Shane McMahon and The Evil Smackdown Referee)

Do you remember when the Carolina Hurricanes got to the Stanley Cup final against the Wings last year? I remember watching it and halfway through the first period of the first game, I thought to myself "How the hell did this happen?". Total bewilderment.

HA! I know this isn't a hockey forum, but I just wanted to say...

I live in North Carolina, and in June of last year EVERYBODY was going Hurricanes CRAZY. My local bank had a big "Go 'Canes" banner hanging on the wall. Everybody took down the 9/11 American Flags from their cars and replaced them with Carolina Hurricanes flags.

Then we got our asses handed to us in the finals. This year, the Hurricanes are in LAST PLACE! And now, no one even know who the fuck the Carolina Hurrcianes are.

"Carolina Hurricanes? Is that some football team or somethin'?

By the way, Backlash or Judgement Day: Diesel vs. HHH. Chew on that.

Thanks a lot! I was planning on attending the Judgment Day event. Now you've ruined for me!!!